photo by: Jason Dailey Photography

Lawrence teen Arabella Gipp is set to represent the state of Kansas at the Boys & Girls Club Southwest Region Youth of the Year contest in Dallas later this week.

Lawrence High School student Arabella Gipp is set to compete in her third Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year contest this year at the end of the week, representing the state of Kansas at the 2022 Southwest Region Youth of the Year contest in Dallas.

On Friday, Gipp will compete against seven fellow youth representatives from Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and New Mexico. The winner of the regional competition will advance to the National Youth of the Year ceremony Oct. 13 in Los Angeles.

On her path to the regional contest, Gipp first was named Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence’s Youth of the Year in January, then won the statewide honor two months later in March.

Per a release from Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence, Gipp is the sixth Lawrence youth to earn the statewide distinction in the past 11 years and the first Indigenous Youth of the Year in Lawrence.

“It feels amazing to represent Kansas,” Gipp said in the release. “Boys & Girls Club has been there for me all my life, and it feels wonderful to be able to represent them, through sharing how the club shaped me into the person I am today. I’m just so thankful and grateful for this opportunity.”

Gipp will travel to Dallas with Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence CEO Monica Dittmer; her mother, Jessica Gipp; and mentors Chris Austin, Ethan Clapsaddle and Lizzie Vietz. Competition day will consist of speeches at an honoree breakfast and interviews with judges in the afternoon. The regional Youth of the Year will be announced during a banquet at the end of the day.